Cook Getting Near the End

If this is the last month of Dennis Cook’s career, his kids will grow up with a pretty good idea of what dad did for 18 summers of his life. When he pitched an inning at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga last week, he set up three chairs in the bullpen so his 4-year-old triplets could watch him warm up. Before the game, when he ran on the field, his kids ran with him.

“I want to have those memories,” Cook said. “I want them to have them. That was kind of cool.”

Cook did his best to rehabilitate his damaged left shoulder, and the Angels activated the reliever for the last month, but for now they are not inclined to use him in a close game. He said he would have surgery to repair his torn labrum and rotator cuff “as soon as we win the World Series or get eliminated” but said he would defer any decision about retirement until January. He turns 40 next month.

“If I feel like playing, I can make some calls and see if I can go to camp with somebody,” he said. “If I’m having fun staying home with the kids, I’ll do something else.”

Cook, a former Dodger teammate of Angel Manager Mike Scioscia, has pitched for four playoff teams and won a World Series championship ring with the 1997 Florida Marlins.

“If it’s over,” Cook said, “I’ll tip my hat and thank everybody.”

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The announced crowd of 10,146 Tuesday was so small and so quiet that shortstop David Eckstein said his college guidance counselor, listening to the game on radio, could actually hear conversations of fans in the stands.... The Angels do not plan to promote any additional players from triple-A Salt Lake until the Pacific Coast League playoffs end, barring an injury to a major league player. The playoffs started Wednesday and could extend through Sept. 15. Among the players under consideration: outfielder and PCL MVP Robb Quinlan, who hit .333 with 20 home runs and a league-leading 112 runs batted in, shortstop Alfredo Amezaga and right-handed reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who has 59 strikeouts in 42 innings.... The Angels extended the contract of Rex Hudler, their television analyst. Steve Physioc, the television play-by-play man, received a three-year extension when his contract expired last year. Hudler, whose contract was up this year, is believed to have received a three-year extension.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

RAMON ORTIZ

(11-9, 3.95 ERA)

vs.

DEVIL RAYS’

JOE KENNEDY

(7-9, 4.32 ERA)

Tropicana Field, 4 p.m. PDT

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update--Outfielder Tim Salmon is expected to return to the lineup tonight, although Scioscia said he would hit in the lower part of the batting order in his first few games back. The Angels are 16-6 since Salmon last started Aug. 10, when his left hand was hit and badly bruised by a pitch.

Bill Shaikin